Wash. Gay Wedding Flowers Case Goes to Court

The dispute over a Washington state florist who declined to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding goes to court Friday.

Oral arguments are scheduled in Benton County Superior Court.

The Washington state attorney general's office sued the owner of Arlene's Flowers, Baronelle Stutzman, saying she violated consumer protection law by refusing service in March to customers Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed.

Stutzman says she has no problem with homosexual customers but won't support gay weddings because of her religious beliefs.

In addition to the state, the ACLU sued Stutzman on behalf of the Kennewick, Wash. couple. A religious freedom group, Alliance Defending Freedom, countersued the state on behalf of Stutzman.

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Comments

WayGay, 2013-06-28 11:54:21

Put the bitch out of business. It is no different than if she declined to sell to blacks or for that matter Muslims for a Muslim wedding. Her faith means precisely squat in the eyes if the law.

SuperDonn93, 2013-06-28 12:17:32

When you open a business you have to put your religious beliefs aside to make some cash. If you try and pick and choose which customers you want to have you will definitely lose customers from both sides. She needs to suck it up and open her business to everyone.

, 2013-06-28 13:57:00

For this to be about religion, she would have to deny service to interfaith couples, couples who have been married more than once, couples who have had sex prior to their marriage....can’t just pick and choose what aspects of your religion you want to follow based on your prejudices

, 2013-06-28 22:03:36

When a business serves the general public, the business owner’s religious beliefs may not be used to justify discrimination.

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